Worn Out Places
by Laryna6
Summary: It's an even madder world they've come to than the one they left. What they've found is kind of funny, but equally sad. A grab bag of during, pre and post-DDS stories. Various pairings, running the gamut from crack to tragedy, sometimes at the same time.
1. Magna Mater

_The prompt - __Digital Devil Saga, Angel/David; submissive male - he preferred the view from underneath_

* * *

He'd liked to look up at her.

There would have been worse ways to die. Well, the firebombing of the clinic hadn't been a good thing. 'The enemy is fear. We think that it is hate, but it is fear.' He wasn't sure that was the exact quote, but his mind was hazy now and he had more important things to do, like comfort his wife. And pray for them all.

Jenna'd liked to watch over him.

There had always been cracks about who wore the pants in their relationship, and David's response had been, "both of us, but she looks better in them." Jenna had always been afraid. He wouldn't tell people that and they'd laugh if he did, thankfully. She fought that fear by keeping control. If she controlled him, she could keep him happy so he wouldn't leave. If she controlled him, she could keep him safe so he wouldn't die.

They weren't gods, and so he prayed.

He'd liked to look up at her face when they were together. She'd liked to watch his reactions, because they fed her own and she wanted control because she loved him.

In the bible, angels had to tell the people they appeared before not to be afraid. He tried to tell her that now, because she was so afraid of losing him. It would happen. But Jenna, don't die with me. I want to see you live on, be happy.

I don't want to be looking down on you from above. I want to be the rock you stand on.

But he wasn't god any more than she was. Any more than the entity she had discovered and called god because she wanted someone to have ultimate power so that she could control them and make everything right.

Even the god his parents had worshipped hadn't been able to keep his children from betraying him again and again. Nothing changed until he stopped smiting back.

Jenna, don't… because she was breaking, and he'd worked so hard to support her, to see her whole and beautiful, Jenna who had been born uniquely whole, above the division between men and women, and looked down on because of it. She was so afraid, she was so afraid, and…

He'd done all he could. And he couldn't show fear for her, or she really would break because she would think he was afraid of death. He lived in this world, he had the syndrome, he'd known he would die. But, Jenna…

Fear is uncertainty. To hate is to have a target for that hate, is to be able to plan and control.

Hate was the easy way out.

We all live in glass houses, Jenna, even though I kept yours clean. Don't start throwing stones, Jenna. You're better than that. Jenna wouldn't believe him if he told her that now. She was nothing. How could she be anything noble if she was the one who couldn't save her own husband?

Would she be able to look at herself in a mirror once that of his eyes was gone?

And so he prayed for them both, because he would rather have just died than watch her die.


	2. Leviathan

_Prompt: Digital Devil Saga, Serph/Heat: rough sex - who's topping who?_

_Fighting someone who isn't fighting back is like fencing with the sea. When fire and water clash..._

I've found the Embryon power dynamic fascinating since the scene where Gale is rejecting alliance with Roland with a vengeance and Serph puts his hand on Gale's shoulder. That's all it takes.

* * *

Fighting someone who isn't fighting back is like fencing with the sea, and Agni's heat at that thought makes Heat laugh: he knows Serph like Agni knows Varna and they should have expected it would be like this, huh.

He'd be lost without Agni's whispers, and he wouldn't have done this without all those illustrations seared into his mind, pages from some 'book' called the 'Kama Sutra,' and if that Kama guy turns out to be anyone's demon Heat will have to show his appreciation in whatever manner seems appropriate.

He's got Serph pinned down, the hand at his throat right on the edge of transforming, molten lines spreading from his atma mark, and he should feel in total control. He's not only got Serph's life in his hands, he's also got a certain portion of his body right where he wants it and Serph wouldn't be getting it back without a fight. Not without, oh yeah, that's it, and he just has to growl, it's so damn good.

It says something, that everything's going exactly how Heat wants it, he's lapping up Serph's blood, and Sera's watching wide-eyed and silent (she has to know who the strongest is now!), and he still feels like Serph's winning somehow.

You can't really conquer someone who wants to be conquered. Heat was getting everything he wanted, but you couldn't take what was freely given.

He's clawing in deeper now, and he can see, hear, smell, taste, feel Serph's skin burning where his own atma lines touch Heat's for a moment before Heat growls to try to remind him who's in charge here and that he'd better not try to transform.

But the lines fade away before the growl is voiced, and he can't order Serph to do it if he's already done it.

Serph let Heat beat him up to fool Mick, and he'd wanted a fight and Serph wasn't obliging. He was obliging now, silent growls and soft human fingers clawing at him, but it's just a play-fight. Serph doesn't actually want to get Heat off of him, to break free. He likes being trapped like this: what a weakling!

And no, he can't really say that, hold him in contempt for this like that when he knows that the only reason he's getting away with this, the only reason Serph's like this, is that it's Heat that's pinning him down and raping him, or trying to at least.

Agni's desire to worship Varna isn't helping.

And oh god, Serph feels so good, fingernails scratching now but he's doing it because it's perfect and it's how Heat wants it and he's not sure if the tears are pain or pleasure or sheer frustration.

He wants to beat Serph into submission. He has the submission, but Serph's anything but beaten no matter how many bones end up being broken during this. Serph's doing this for him, because of him, and it's calling up something vast and immense inside and he's really trying to get Serph to stop now. Stop being so damn nice when… why did he want to be able to hate Serph? Serph was the best damn tribe leader in the Junkyard, he felt so damn good, and… Well, Sera, but it wasn't like Serph had taken her.

He can claw and yell and insult, but all that sound and fury means nothing important and Serph knows it even if Heat is only starting to grasp it. He can yell, he can rage, but he won't get any words or anger in return, just those sounds and that, that… that strange power behind those eyes, that satisfaction. The other tribe leaders might beat their members into submission: Serph had always wanted his tribe to want to follow him. To want to have him as their leader. Now there was that same smile as when Serph had once again been told that he was doing a good job, that they were proud to follow him. He wouldn't ask for it and they rarely said it, that was what made it mean something.

What Heat wanted was to have. What Serph wanted was to know he could fulfill the needs of those he found worthy.

Heat wanted to force acknowledgement out of Serph, to conquer, to take, but Varna is a water god among many, many other things and a spring wants thirsty travelers to drink from it.

Heat can't boil away Serph's hidden depths and he's afraid now that in his effort to quench his thirst he'll be put out, because it's almost like he's swimming in Serph's eyes and blood now even though Serph's trapped inside him, damn it, and he doesn't want to leave. It's, he's never felt more like fire, he's never felt more like himself, whoever that is, and as Serph's neck arches, offered to be bitten in the certain knowledge that it won't be a fatal wound he trembles, because now he knows what power is.

Serph doesn't need physical control when he can control Heat's own… why did he think heart? What does a fluid pump have to do with anything? Except that fluid is Varna, and…

Heat can do anything he wants with Serph's body, and Serph will let him, because Serph doesn't have to be afraid when he controls Heat's, Heat's soul.

He's drowning here, wanting that neck but biting it now seems like the ultimate submission, and the drowned belong to Varna (who the heck is Davy Jones?), but it's so damn tempting, so red and warm and he can have as much as he wants, but only if Serph is alive and healthy to keep giving it to him, huh.

When he bites everything just is overwhelmed and he collapses, wanting to sleep like he would after satisfying his hunger if it were ever satisfied but Serph is still so needy, and he can't leave him like that.

He can't leave him. Ever.

He laps up that blood, drawing more than that, and then Serph is drowsy, calm and sated and satisfied, the boiling water returning to the stillness that remained at the core no matter what Heat did.

Serph wanted him to stay, and curl up with him, he could see it. Stay and guard Serph's back while he slept. He'd wanted to be a guard (always Serph's right hand man), and then he'd wanted to be the threat, and now he wanted to just be here again. At Serph's right hand, his most favored servant. Or as Serph's right hand. He wouldn't feel whole anywhere else, he needed Serph, he realized now.

Serph who lazily licked a bit of his own blood off of Heat's chin, smiling like that, eyes half-lidded and it should have looked submissive instead of frightening, that temptation.

Agni told him, or it came to him, that there was something called a lion that had a whole bunch of tribeswomen that did all the work and could gang up and beat it up but didn't: they had sex with him and gave him their prey instead.

He didn't know how he felt about the idea of watching Serph with all of them.

They all belonged to Serph. He just knew it now, and he didn't know what to think about it. He knew what Agni and his body thought about it, but he was… himself, damn it (whatever that was…) and he didn't really like being owned like this. Yeah, he mused, cleaning up (his) Serph a bit. Owned. Bought.

Serph gave him this, and in exchange Heat was his right hand. He belonged to Serph because no matter how Heat had tried to think otherwise Serph was better than he was. That admiration, that constant proof, make Heat worship him.

Then he realized that just like Serph knew Heat wouldn't kill him Heat knew Serph wouldn't use him. The coin Serph paid for Heat's service in was being worthy of that service. If Serph ever stopped being worthy he'd tear him apart. Heat realized that Serph wanted it that way. He had no intention of being like Harley or Jinana or Mick, stupid and useless and cruel.

The instant Serph stopped being someone Heat would die to keep alive the, the trust Serph gave him would let Heat kill him. That trust that kept Heat from betraying Serph would mean nothing if Serph betrayed him.

That made him grin, finally, and tug fiercely on Serph's hair. Yes, he could kill Serph and end this bondage.

He could quit this anytime he wanted to.


	3. Wolf Plus Man Is Dog

_Prompt: June 8) Digital Devil Saga, Lupa/Gale; senses; why do I want to lick you if you're not food?_

* * *

After glancing at Serph for final approval Gale had vetoed Lupa's plan of going ahead of them to cut down the opposition. While he had initially planned to approve the idea, since it would give the Brutes the idea this was a Wolves-only action, several attacking in concert worked more efficiently then a lone demon, even Lupa. Lupa charging ahead would alert the Brutes, and then when he fell the Embryon would walk into the hornet's nest he had stirred up.

If Lupa was now subordinate to the Embryon, there was no conflict with him serving as a tribe member. In fact, that would hopefully strengthen the case that Serph had conquered the Wolves despite not killing their leader, if that leader took orders from him (or whichever person was currently designated command-giver) on the battlefield.

It turned out to be most fortunate, since it was quickly discovered that Lupa, like Jinana, was refusing to eat. Although Gale at first objected to being delegated to deal with this moral (whatever that was) objection of Lupa's to eat alongside Argilla and Sera, he quickly realized that neither Heat's 'do it, you idiot' or Cielo's 'jollying along' would have any effect on the logical ex-tribe leader and therefore the most efficient combination was indeed to paralyze his illogical emotional objections with the effects of Argilla's tears and Sera's pleas while Gale presented a logical argument.

Apparently among the things like 'son' that they all strangely knew was a taboo, like a Karma Temple law, regarding something called 'cannibalism.' However, that was humans eating humans, not demons eating demons, and hence was not an applicable objection.

After Lupa's objections had been countered Sera was removed by Heat, who did not want her to see this for some reason, unprompted while Cielo conferred with Argilla and Serph over the skill sets they needed for this area, which apparently contained a demon called a Pixie which summoned High Pixies, which often held items that would increase the 'luck stat.' Gale wished to join in on this conversation, since stat management fell under his duties, but keeping Lupa from being incapacitated by hunger came first.

Hence, he was holding the flesh of the first demon they'd managed to find that looked neither unappetizing nor humanlike (in hopes of getting around the irrational objections) out to Lupa's demon form. Gale himself was in human form, so that he looked less threatening and less like food.

Sera, despite not eating, had given directions for how to make food look acceptable. This involved an application of the Agi spell from Heat, as he had the lowest magic stat. The prepared meat was taken from his hands piece by piece, at first slower then at a rate that showed how close he had come to Jinana's fate. Even after it was all gone Lupa still kept licking Gale.

"Lupa, there is no more here. Do you wish to go hunting?"

Gale did not receive a verbal answer. Instead, he was pinned down with a paw and the three tongues continued to remove all remains of prey from his body, both the blood from this meal on his hands and that which had unfortunately caked onto his shoes. He wished there was a water spell instead of an ice spell: that would come in useful for not alerting enemies by scent.

He submitted to this: after all, the water here was not to be trusted. However, Lupa kept going long past the point where Gale still smelled at all like prey and the tongues occasionally caused odd sensations. "Serph! Lupa is acting oddly."

The group came around the corner, and Gale found himself not appreciating the audience despite the fact he should have approved of the others staying close to both Serph, their leader, and the near-defenseless Sera. Serph held another one of the approved demons and waved it a bit to attract Lupa's attention. One of the heads rose to look at it, but growled when Serph came too close.

"He's not going after the meat?" Argilla's head tilted.

"Whoa there, bro, I think he likes you! The kitty was just like that. Okay, not just like that," Cielo's grin widened as a tongue reaching Gale's pelvis prompted his body to react oddly.

Serph waved the demon harder, causing another one of the heads to look at it, then handed it to Heat and mimed throwing it: Heat was the strongest in the party according to those 'stats.'

"Hey, mutt! Want some of this!" Heat threw it and Lupa promptly left Gale.

"I do not comprehend. I should be relieved that he has ceased trying to eat me and allowed me to stand again," Gale reported as he did so, "and yet I find myself…" Lupa came back after gulping down the demon and pinned Gale down yet again. "I do not comprehend why I find this awkward situation a beneficial one!"

Sera was giggling and Heat also began to laugh.

Serph stepped forward, folding his arms. Gale's view from below was obstructed, but it appeared that Lupa's demon form was fully conversant in Serph's language of gesture and expression, created to avoid stressing a scarred throat.

Finally Lupa bowed his heads and whined, pushing Gale forward with two noses as a peace offering.

Serph then pet each of those heads, Gale feeling left out of the conversation as he had so many since the world had changed, and nodded for Sera to come forward.

"Sera, could you try singing?" Argilla prompted the new tribe member.

"I don't think it's the same thing, but I'll try?" Sera did so, and Lupa reverted, clearly as clueless about what had just happened as Gale was.

"Don't go hungry so long again, Mon! We don' wann let Gale get eaten, ja? Then Argilla would have to do all de work around here since he's de guy with the smitin' lightnin'!"

Lupa looked to him for a translation but no, Gale did not comprehend this new Cielo either. "I was not that hungry. He did not smell like food. I was licking him because he smelled like…"

"De kitty was jus doin it to be friendly. I think it's a comrade thing, ja?" Cielo looked at the other for confirmation.

Serph was blank, waiting for the others' input before making the final decision and Heat thought this was pointless. The conversation between Cielo and Argilla, with some input from Sera, eventually decided that licking was a comradely thing to do and might have to do with scent marking to tell friend from foe. Then, the two of them proceeded to convince the others, including him, that this was a useful activity and might grant some resistance to the effects of charm and confusion, making Cielo's job as healer easier.

Gale, now that he comprehended the purpose of this, was divided between gaining more data on it and proceeding with the mission. After an initial session was completed, Heat causing Sera to giggle, Cielo giggling like crazy, Argilla blushing while hugging Sera and other emotional displays from the irrational ones, Serph, considering, took some of Lupa's neck into his mouth without actually biting down.

"Yes, I know that you are the alpha male now," Lupa acknowledged, bowing his head.

"Alpha male?" Gale sighed, shaking his head. "I do not comprehend."


	4. demons are humans are demons

Prompt: Digital Devil Saga 2, Gale/Serph: xeno - going berserk for the first time.

* * *

Gale considered himself extremely fortunate to have been born… to be a member of Serph's tribe. Harley relied too much on plans and fortifications and when he was blindsided he'd always panicked. Jinana had done all the work herself and let her tribe become undisciplined. Mick had grown weak, 'safe' behind those walls. Varin had been Colonel Beck, whoever that was. Lupa was a combination of Serph's strengths and Jinana's fatal flaws. He led, but he didn't take care of himself either. He'd both been willing to die (a death sentence, in the Junkyard) and not eaten.

For a long time, Gale had been uncertain as to whether or not Serph had changed. It wasn't clear until he realized that it wasn't just eye color that signified it, but strange black dots appearing in the middle of each eye.

Serph's eyes had stayed grey, but he'd gained those strange circles that widened and retracted eerily as Gale watched them.

It was much better than listening to Argilla be overly emotional. He wished Heat or Cielo were here. They were the best at dealing with these 'emotions.' Heat would force her to look at reality until she saw that this expanded power was a good thing despite the greater demonic nature that came with it and Cielo would distract her, allowing the reality to sink in while her irrationality had a different target.

Serph needed the other half of his command team. Without Heat he was as crippled as without his right arm. Gale, thinking about it, realized that he was, yes, one of the legs, and rubbed his transformed one against Serph, snaked it around him. He would get him to Heat and Cielo.

Actually, the probability was that Cielo would come to them. He was certainly the faster of the legs.

Yes. Gale relaxed. Serph was indeed pleased with the strength of his right leg.

When would this wear off? Most likely at minimum Solar noise, most aliments did. Although this felt almost like that strange hunger Varin and Angel had used on them. They needed to locate Sera urgently.

However, at the moment Gale had no idea how to go about that. Well, obviously, get moving towards where this Roland was after letting Argilla reassure the children that no, they weren't monsters.

Could this status be controlled and deliberately induced? It would be the most useful for Cielo and Serph, whose agility would compensate for the lower control over their bodies. Although this lack of control could be a good thing. Without it, Gale would never have experienced the sensation of Serph's blade running across his back. It wasn't a massage to relieve strained muscles, but there was an equivalent sensation as sweat and other things were scraped off the skin.

If it weren't for the fact that they had urgent priorities, like getting the children to safety and locating their comrades (he was feeling naked without the meat shield and vulnerable without the healer) this would be as important an experience to study and, well, experience, as his demon and physical selves seemed to think it was.

They had always viewed the body as simply a tool, but when they ignored the data it presented that tool was allowed to rust. Massages increased combat efficiency considerably, and Argilla, who was a sniper and not used to hand-to-demonic-quasi-hand combat, claimed that she could not go more than a few fights without them.

There was probably a reason he'd tackled Serph and they'd rolled around until Serph was mostly beneath him. What was it?

He arched his back again for that very welcome blade and waited for Serph to figure it out. Serph was the head for a reason, after all. Argilla should have also come over and grabbed him to make sure that he was protected until he figured out how to fix this instead of going over and curling up in that corner.

Serph was the only one who hadn't drastically changed. He'd been the first to change, but he'd been used to studying, to saying nothing unless it was to contribute, to keeping the others stable. His level of input had in fact been lower than usual, unlike Argilla's, Heat's, and Cielo's explosion of meaningless chatter. He'd been focused on watching and learning them and this as Gale had looked to the strategic situation.

Those eyes relaxed now, nodding, as Gale's arching back caused an interesting sensation strong enough that Gale finally noticed it. It was not a frightening sensation, but the effect it had on him made him worry: it was intense, it damaged his ability to maintain control and he was the one who had to stay sane and rational.

Serph, however, seemed to be of the opinion that Gale's attempts to draw back and ignore the sensation were counterproductive: those alien eyes with rays coming from a black sun narrowed and the blade pressed just a bit against his back, not enough to hurt but enough to remind Gale who was in command here.

The sensations were frightening, but if Serph thought that he should relax and, and enjoy them, then he would trust his judgment.

Oh.

Now he comprehended this! With demon form had come the hunger that had to be sated: the hunger for flesh. This hybrid form seemed to have another hunger. Luckily Argilla would not object to this one as she did the demon hunger.

No, she seemed to be very willing to sate this hunger. Good. There would be no more Lupas, especially not among his tribe. She inched closer as Gale released control to allow his body to sate this hunger by instinct so that he could study it. Serph had understood, now it was his job to comprehend. As soon as this hunger was sated and they had accomplished the other objectives… He hoped they found Cielo soon. He was the healer: ailments were his problem. Since this activity was pleasurable Cielo would be doubly interested in it. Luckily the ease with which they were inflicted on him helped him be motivated to master the necessary mantras to become immune to aliments. Although, given how relaxed and otherwise stat-boosted his body felt after the hunger was sated, he didn't think immunity was something desirable. In fact, he now wanted to be able to trade weaknesses with Cielo even more. All the rest of them could do was cease to be weak. Cielo could gain outright immunity to his weakness, confounding their opponents, and quickly.

Was there a mantra with a skill that would inflict this status?

Yes, they needed to find Cielo. Urgently.

Although once the majority of the hunger had been sated, it appeared that like they hungered for flesh they were also always hungry for this. Examining the strange eyes that had come around the same time as their atma seemed to trigger this hunger. Perhaps this was a hunger of whatever creature had those eyes, as the hunger for flesh was the nature of demons? He would have to examine the eyes of Fred and make inquiries as to if there was such a creature.

Becoming part demon had been difficult to comprehend enough. If there had been two such changes to their natures at once, then no wonder the others had been behaving irrationally.


	5. Notes from the edgeOverlooking The Abyss

_Roland in thought and reflection. _

_Springkink prompt – July 10 #52 - Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, Argilla/Roland: Oral sex - Flirting._

* * *

A comes to R. for instruction, as he is IRL, more experience - "We're comrades, aren't we?"

He muses on 'eating,' comrades/family-incestish vibes?

Salty-she says she likes salt, puts it on rations-salt keeps well, something they have tons of despite agriculture being a thing of the past.

She's got a good grasp of being flirty-Serph must be oblivious. No, he's not oblivious of anything. Maybe because leaders aren't supposed to sleep with their soldiers? But they're not like that, like they developed everything from scratch.

Now, when Greg used to do this… But he stops thinking about that.

R. doesn't notice Gale's watching for awhile.

Argilla winks at Gale when she leaves, licking her lips.

* * *

There's a part of Roland, even now, that sees everything as a story, as the books he doubts he will ever write. From creative writing major to resistance leader is a hard change to make.

It's just that everything's gone from crafted prose to cliff notes, the desiccated skeleton of the world that once was alive: there, he's still got it.

At least he's got a knack for speeches.

He used to write out the future in his head, it's still a habit that helps with planning. He could see this as a romance novel. Argilla's… nice, and even though she's an AI she, all of them are the first parts of the world to be in color in too long.

No, he notices, she doesn't flirt with Serph.

And he's studied enough literature to know that God's up there writing a tragedy.


	6. Sweet Mother of Gods

**8)Digital Devil Saga, Various: Mythology, Otherness, Conflicts of Identity - "Sometimes the line between them blurs."**

**Note: Heat/Agni, Meganada**

She is both Argilla, not wanting to lose another comrade, not wanting to lose someone who while not Jinana is someone she has come to care about in a different way and Prithivi in this moment, both of them raging at Meganada (who was he, once?) to get his &ing filthy claws off her comrade/baby.

Argilla understands why Cielo has to stay with the rest of them, to keep Fred and Sera and everyone healed and safe and well.

Prithivi is of the opinion that Vayu and Varna can take care of themselves and their worshippers perfectly well and her husband Dyaus had better get his rainbow ass over here even if he is still pissed off at Indra for killing him that time.

Argilla says that Roland keeping Cielo captive has nothing to do with it. They're comrades now, even if part of her says not comrade but family. That same part of her that says that everything is family, she is both the earth and its mother, and Meganada might have earned the name 'Indrajit,' conqueror of Indra, once, but there is no way he is going to do anything else to her baby!

Roland, Roland was never one to lay down and die, he was a trickster, always had a way out, and yet he's almost dead and Meganada is feeding upon his flesh. That's not Roland. It might be Indra.

Damn Heat for betraying them!

Where's Agni when she needs him! Where's Agni when his brother needs him! When they all return to the heavens she is going to wring his &(ing neck! (The profanity of the gods would break a mortal's mind, and Prithivi still has need of her mortal shell.

She won't let Meganada get away with this. She won't let that 'god' get away with this, devouring her through those transmissions.

So she smiles comfortingly at Roland/Indra, at her comrade/baby, as she avenges them all trying to save herself.

And Dyaus is divided, Vayu feels his blessing leave their bodies, and Varnani sheds a drop of the nectar of immortality. It can't bring them back, but the intoxication of power fills her new avatar, beckoning her to hasten to Varna's side.

Varna, god of law and order and so much else, keeper of oaths, without whom they are all lost. Varna, who can grant immortality and bring the ones they've lost back.

But Serph can't do that, and they'd be asking too much of someone who drowned in that EEG tank-thing… He's dead, they need to let him go.

But of course he's not dead. Varna is god of the drowned: of course his avatar wouldn't die that way. And Vayu knew that, which was why he told them not to mourn.

But the earth they are trying to save has died before their very mortal eyes.

It's easier to be the demon, the asura, the deva. Strange, that the gods are the ones to have faith.


	7. Trisagion

_Digital Devil Saga, Heat/Seraph: Pointing things out - "You were so obsessed with 'Sera' that you never noticed how 'Serph' felt."_

_Really, that applies to Serph as much as Heat: he tended to ignore his own feelings far too much. At the beginning here, keep in mind that the opinions of the characters aren't those of the author: they're being far too critical of how they used to be. How we were as children can be incredibly embarrassing from an adult perspective._

_Also, the trisagion is a song of seraphs praising god. Seriously. So obviously, I couldn't resist._

* * *

"I was such a selfish brat. Just a silly little girl… I would be amazed that Serph put up with me if I wasn't Serph and knew that I did it because it made me happy and I didn't really understand what was going on. I thought I was like Cielo, just randomly hugging people! I wanted him to be my father, I think. Both me and the two other mes, the one that killed the first other you and the one that I programmed to be in the virtual world with me. I fought them with the first other yous… I'm sorry, I'm confusing you again. It's hard to keep track."

"It's fine." Heat looked away, not wanting to do something as unmanly as say that he just wanted to listen to them talking to him. Serph barely could and Sera hadn't wanted to.

"I was looking after Sera, but only in the way I looked after all of you, and I thought that meant Serph loved me. Sera never had a father, which is why the doctor was able to take that role. Or, maybe both the doctors did, really. I was a silly girl and wanted princes instead of to save myself. No wonder God did all that to save me and ruined everything." Seraph's feet kicked a bit, fidgeting exaggerated when they didn't stand on the ground. "I'm sorry, Heat. You really did care, for me, and Serph did too. But all I saw was what I'd seen back then, even thought I didn't remember it. The person the doctor pretended to be, the person I programmed him as, the person I mistook you for, the person I programmed you as, and you and I weren't them. Did you have to fight yourselves?"

"Uh, I only met the Doctor one, and you were there."

"We met him. He helped Serph defeat the ghosts of his past. The cat is very strange."

"I kind of guessed that."

She/he/they held out a hand and he took it. "Sera was focused on herself and didn't really see the real Serph, and Serph wasn't looking at himself either because he had to take care of all of you and the more he knew about the other him the more afraid he was that if he knew more he would become like him. So he was putting everything into taking care of you, and he didn't think about why anymore than Sera realized that you really did love her. Both of you. The 'evil prince' was only acting evil because his princess was being eaten by a dragon in disguise," Seraph giggled, and Heat wondered how much of this was Sera and how much all the words Serph had kept locked away. "And you loved her but didn't know what you were doing. In the Junkyard, strength was everything. You didn't know how to be gentle and it wasn't a place where gentleness would have helped Sera. You scared her trying to show her that with you by my side she didn't have to be scared. Serph knew that, at least. But there was so much to think about that I didn't think about it. We have a great command team, you're all great comrades, but we were great for the Junkyard. It took us way too long to get good at dealing with being human again and it was my job to make that happen faster. It's my job to keep everyone on track and pointed in the right direction." Seraph tugged, and Heat left the ground as well. "I feel like I let all of you down. I came to help, but all I did was distract me."

"Don't say that, either of you. It's my job to support you. I should have kept you safe until you could figure that stuff out. Instead I…"

The other hand covered his mouth. "You were just trying to keep me safe. Yes, from me, but… it's all very confusing, and we messed up just as badly. We should have thought about you. You were always by our sides and I think we might have taken you for granted."

He half growled, half sighed. "Don't say that, Seraph."

"It's true, though." His hand was firmly placed on their shoulder and they looked at him with Serph's patented questioning look #237.

"I don't care, and saying it isn't going to change anything. You've apologized, so stop moping about it and get back to fixing everything. Then we can stay here, or go back to the world, or whatever, and I'll keep you from messing up this time."

They smiled. "We're almost there, we think. We came down to get some supplies and to see you."

"I wish I had an ability or something to give you." He'd wanted to help them fight, but Seraph didn't want him to have to fight anymore, or something like that, and he'd tagged along but it was just weird and he'd grabbed Roland, dragged him away from looking down at earth and moping, and shoved him in the big karma terminal with Gale while he had Lupa's spirit power thingy active.

"You do make us stronger. It's just that we want to fight for _you_ now, and we won't lose. For you."

"Seraph." He was always awkward about stuff like this, and according to his past life Serph's past life had a stick up his ass and had probably died a virgin. So had Sera, which meant thanks to past-life experience that wasn't actually his Heat was the least virginal member of this pair, or trinity, (or trisagion, the chant of Seraphs) and so he kind of had to take the initiative.

He'd kissed Sera, in the junkyard, and hard, but Serph? Rebel as he might Heat knew whose dog he was. He was Sera's too, but that… wasn't actually all that different. And Serph was pretty girly, anyway.

Yeah, he was always the one who had to push these two into things. He didn't want to frighten Sera off, he… okay, Serph wasn't frighten off-able. Hopefully that would cancel out and he'd get a good reaction.

Yeah, luckily he'd gotten the talk from the other him on how to deal with both sets of organs and stuff.

They'd picked an out of the way place, but that meant demons could come by. That was fine since they were killed by the cries of 'oh my god!' and so on constantly casting Trisagion until something showed up that fire didn't affect and Heat had to break to go kill it and bring the pieces back to get everyone's MP up again.

Yes, he was the mighty hunter and killer of anything that went after_ his _Seraph.

It was good to finally be getting some recognition from Sera, and to not be getting the, "Yes, you beat it with one hand tied behind your back but that's nothing special because you're Heat: go do something new enough to be impressive if you want approval," look from Serph.

Best of both worlds.

And _goddamn_ was it great that they weren't weak against fire anymore: he could be as vocal as he wanted.


	8. Spin The Wheel

_You could think of this as sort of a sequel to the previous one, but really it's because the world doesn't recover from an apocalypse overnight._ _Then one has to think of what religions would form in a world with a 'God' and ties to Hindu mythology, not to mention all the demons in human form (until they were cured, anyway)._

* * *

He's asked for the tattoo every year for his birthday, and his parents always said no. He asked Fred to intercede for him, Fred was cool, but he'd gotten his hair ruffled instead, which he didn't take from anyone else, but Fred was Fred.

Fred had been there, had known the people they were named after.

The real Embryon.

They, his friends, called themselves the Embryon, because they were named after them. Well, not all of them were, but Gale had insisted on Jenna joining because she was his girlfriend, and Roland got to be in because the real Roland had joined, and Greg got to be in because Fred told them Lupa, who was his father and the real Greg, had helped the Embryon in the Junkyard.

Eugenia, or Jinny, was Argilla's best friend but wasn't in the Embryon. She had her own tribe and they played war in the old ruins. They each had their secret hideouts and stuff, with water pistols and balloons.

Serph was theoretically in charge, but it was really him and Gale that did all the work. It was Gale and Jenna that hacked in and got them the security footage. That was when he'd see it. The demon mark the real Heat had had.

He'd wanted one. It looked so cool! He drew it on with marker when they were going to have a battle.

When he'd joined the border patrol, he'd gotten a real tattoo. They all joined.

It wasn't just bandits. There were people who believed that the Embryon weren't the ones that had talked to God and brought back the sun, there were all these cults out there… Mayor Fred was a great mayor, but outside the territory Portland and the other civilized places claimed it was chaos.

This wasn't what the Embryon had fought and died for. What if God got pissed off again? Fucking idiots.

They said he fought like a demon, they called him the Wrath of God, and Gale's plans gained them allies, and Argilla's carefully placed shots blew cult leaders' heads clean off, and when you called Cielo for air support you damn well knew he would be there.

They said they were the Embryon reborn, sent from God.

It was worst for Serph and Sera. Serph had been the leader, so of course he was expected to become mayor. And Sera was the Cyber Shaman, who had spoken to God, and so people begged her for help for their sick children.

But they held up under the pressure, and the legend spread.

When they sat down to talk peace with Mayor Serph, Heat stood at his right hand, the devil to his angel, the reminder of what would happen if there wasn't peace.

Eventually it was just mopping up, and all he'd have to do was show up someplace and they'd surrender at word of his coming. That was good, he was getting old.

Maybe it was a good sign that he died of a stroke instead of a shot.

* * *

"Hey," he greeted them.

"Heat." And it was both their voice, not just Sera's.

"Why didn't you get reborn with the rest of us?" He'd always known, somehow, that this life's Serph and Sera had just been kids with his two's names.

"Because we have become more now than data."

"That enlightenment crap." Heat looked down at the earth. "I can't join you."

"You will," they knew, and were not angry, if they were capable of anger anymore. They loved him.

He held on to his anger: it dragged him down, it was an anchor. "I love you guys," he said, and he almost felt his soul fly, felt the dawn approaching, and he knew if he looked he would see, would understand something beautiful. "But they need me."

"We once fought for Nirvana," they murmured. "Now you turn your back on it."

Heat remembered the life before he was a program, how the scientist's ghost had stayed tied to earth, an angry spirit, but used its power to help Serph overcome his past. "You-Sera came down to the Junkyard to help us."

"Yes," they said. They knew.

They kissed him on the forehead and he knew he had to leave now, or he wouldn't be able to leave them. But he would do anything for them, and he didn't want them to grow as sad as God had been.

He felt the ghost of his arm tingle, and knew what he'd find there.

* * *

"Is it some kind of hoax?" Serph asked, looking down at the baby in the cradle.

"I don't see how," Jenna replied. "Every test says it's an ordinary birthmark." She looked at Gale, who looked at Cielo.

"It's him. I don't know how I know, I just got tis feelin, ja?" Cielo shrugged, saying what they were all thinking.

"At least it's not a real demon mark." All the demons had been cured when the sun had been healed. "Nine months after Heat died… but Heat didn't have a birthmark like this!" None of them had.

"I don't get it either." Gale shrugged.

They looked down at the baby in the cradle in wonder.

* * *

"Another fake," Gale reported to the others in the chapterhouse. "I am worried. It is not like Heat to take so long to be reborn."

"Remember what happened to Argilla three lifetimes ago?" Cielo nodded at her.

"You think someone has found him and is trying to influence him as he grows up so they can use him to gain power?" Argilla snorted. "They should know by now that never works." Her 'predecessor' had escaped the compound of the then-Lord of Sheood at the age of five, found the nearest chapterhouse and demanded the guardians come with her to rescue her parents.

"The rest of us are always reborn right away, but Heat sometimes takes as much as a year before he's conceived," Roland reminded them. "Perhaps he just wanted to stay longer this time." They all looked up through the glass to the sun, shining serenely as it had for millennia.

Cielo waved.

"Any other business?" Greg asked, checking his watch. "The negotiations I'm mediating resume in an hour."

"There's a succession dispute in Kebek: two drastically different copies of the will have been found and the Regency Council is asking us to send forensic experts and oversee their verification of the documents…"

* * *

The 'baby' screamed bloody murder. Perhaps they should have drugged it, but it would cease to matter soon.

A Demon Lord, born to one of their own! The woman had been stoned to death, of course. Who knew what sins she had committed, to allow something like this to nest in her womb!

This was the Demon Lord of Fire. How appropriate that the ancient way to deal with witches was to burn them alive. There had been some debate: some had wanted to cripple it but keep it alive, so it would not be reborn elsewhere, others hoped that this would extinguish it for good.

The cameras were rolling: hopefully, when the world saw it, they would realize that the demon lords could be killed and would cease to treat them almost as false gods! The only god was Gaia, the Earth Mother, and the sun was her enemy that had sought to kill all her children, killing all but those who had sought shelter within her and finally sending the demons to devour them all, until the sun had realized that if it killed them all it would not be able to gain their souls, it needed to deceive them…

Finally, the pyre was lit.

Then it froze solid. Ice appeared everywhere.

When the personal guard of the Chief of Baika Station burst in (they were the first force that had been able to get there after the signal was traced: her shuttle had been in transit overhead), Heat was warm, unharmed, and covered with small black cat hairs.


End file.
